Ford and Clark: Properties of Poisonous Fungi 185 
The Entolomas 
In Europe, both Entoloma lividum and Entoloma sinuatum are 
classed among the poisonous fungi. According to a recent collec- 
tion of cases by Sartory 1 - in France, Entoloma lividum is an ex- 
tremely dangerous fungus, causing severe illness and occasionally 
death. Sartory believes that Entoloma lividum is nearly as pois- 
onous as some of the various forms of Amanita phall'oides. 
The Panaeolus species 
In this group, Panaeolus papillionaceus and Panaeolus retirugis 
are reputed to produce hilarity and a mild intoxication in man. 
Ford 42 has studied an American form of Panaeolus retirugis and 
has found it to be poisonous to guinea pigs, producing in them a 
peculiar kind of intoxication which resulted in death but left no 
lesions apparent at autopsy. 
Boletus luridus Schaeffer 
Among the usually harmless Polyporaceae this species has al- 
ways had an unsavory reputation. Boehm 36 has isolated muscarin 
from Boletus luridus and has thus shown that there is good ground 
for including this boletus among the poisonous fungi. Boletus 
luridus is not a common plant in America and may not exist here 
at all in the form found in Europe. 
Boletus satanus Lenz 
Besides the Boletus luridus just mentioned it is likely that Bole- 
tus satanas also contains a poisonous principle- Utz 31 found a 
basic substance in this fungus and named it boletin but from 
its chemical properties and its physiological action we may con- 
clude that he probably was dealing with muscarin. Like Bole- 
tus luridus it is uncertain whether this species occurs in America. 
It is often said that one is never in danger from eating any bole- 
tus but the possibility of muscarin occurring in some of this group 
is enough to cause one to use caution in eating unfamiliar species, 
even if nothing worse than gastro-intestinal disturbances are 
produced. 
